Diana Sherifali appointed inaugural Heather M. Arthur chair

Diana Sherifali, a clinician scientist of the School of Nursing, has been named the inaugural Heather M. Arthur Population Health Research Institute/Hamilton Health Sciences Chair in Inter-Professional Health Research at McMaster University. 

The appointment was effective July 1, 2019 and has received approval by the University’s Senate. 

“I am grateful and honoured to be awarded this chair,” said Sherifali. “Dr. Arthur was an exceptional nurse researcher that championed interprofessional research and collaboration. I look forward to the opportunity to pursue innovative interprofessional research that will benefit patients, providers and health-care systems.” 

Sherifali is an associate professor in the School of Nursing at McMaster, and a registered nurse. She is a clinical nurse specialist in the Diabetes Care and Research Program at Hamilton Health Sciences. She is also director of the McMaster Evidence Review and Synthesis Team, based in the School of Nursing at McMaster. 

A McMaster alumna, Sherifali earned both her BScN (1999) and PhD (2006) from the university. She joined the School of Nursing in 2009. 

Sherifali’s research focuses on optimizing the management of diabetes and quality of life of people with diabetes across the lifespan. 

“The broad goal of my research program is to engage individuals to effectively self-manage and mitigate the impact of diabetes on their life,” said Sherifali. “My research will examine health coaching and digital solutions to improve health-related outcomes and extend diabetes self-management.” 

The chair honours the late Heather Arthur, a McMaster nurse scientist who pioneered cardiac rehabilitation research in Canada. A McMaster School of Nursing alumna, Arthur had joined the faculty in 1981 and retired in late 2013 as a professor emerita. 

During her career Arthur held the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario/Michael G. DeGroote Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Nursing Research, and she was the chief scientific officer at Hamilton Health Sciences. Arthur became the first woman and the first nursing professional to be awarded the Canadian Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation Terry Kavanagh Prize in 2013.

Sandra Carroll, vice-dean, Faculty of Health Sciences and executive director, School of Nursing, said: “The focus of Dr. Sherifali’s research, and its emphasis on collaboration and inter-professionalism, make her an excellent candidate for this inaugural chair. We know Dr. Sherifali will honour Dr. Arthur’s tremendous legacy by fostering impactful research that will help patients and their families.”

Salim Yusuf, executive director of the Population Health Research Institute, said: “We are pleased to support this chair allowing Dr. Sherifali to invest more time in her research that will improve the lives of those living with diabetes. There is a significant opportunity for research with positive patient impact.”